"Due to the biting drought and the hardship in getting daily food. We plan to spend our transfer to settle our food insecurity. To secure us for 3months, we'll buy food stuff worth $200. This will reduce stress in getting food. Livestock do well here, we plan to buy one cow for $200. This means we'll have milk and when the stock grows we can sell to pay school fees. Additionally we plan to add 10 goats, this will cost $400. They do well here and in a few years the stock will be large. This will secure our income. You can easily sell a goat and buy food. It shall secure our family's food access. There's piped water at our home. We plan to fence a small piece of land to prevent goats from destroying our crops. It will cost $250. In this land we will plant vegetables, maize and fruits. This will further add our income and also provide food steadily."

"Both my husband and I are farmer and we have been depending on the same to earn living since we got married. For the last two years, the rains have not been reliable and we have only been able to harvest enough for family consumption and left with nothing to sell. Since all our children are in school, we have been forced to sell the food to pay school fees and therefore look for casual jobs in the neighborhood to get daily food. Water has also become scarce therefore at times, we have to walk for kilometers in search of it. When I received my second transfer, I spend $220 of it to buy 5000 litres of water so that I can store enough water once it rains, $100 to clear fees arrears for my son who is in high school and the balance to buy food and other household items."

"For many years, I have been relying on subsistence farming which always ensured I do not lack food in my household. However, for almost two years now, I have not been into farming due to drought that has severely affected our region. I do not have a source of income that I could at least depend on, and currently, I have to buy everything, food, water, and vegetables which are all expensive to afford. I thank GiveDirectly because I am now left to depend on the monthly transfers for my household's basic needs. I have been able to buy enough food that can serve us for some time, and my family are also enjoying taking three meals a day despite the hardships. In addition to this, I have paid school fees for my two grandsons. I am glad that they are now continuing with their studies without interruptions on fees, unlike before when they could stay at home for some weeks, thus missing lessons."

"My new objective is to purchase livestock, particularly goats. I decided on goats over cows since they can go longer without water than cows. I will be able to support my children's education with this investment. Goats are a good investment since they are easy to keep, have a high market value due to their affordability, and may be sold at any moment if a need arises."

"By the end of the year, I wish to have repaired my roof whose iron sheets have rusted over time, which makes water leak in whenever it rains. The plan is to secure 22 pieces of iron sheets and other roofing materials first, then hire a builder to take on the exercise. Having already acquired four pieces through the cash transfers and my savings, I plan to continue saving enough for the rest. "

"My husband works in house construction to provide for our three children and me. However, his jobs rarely come by as not many people can afford to build houses in our region given the tough economic conditions.  Not to entirely depend on him, I sometimes make and sell charcoal to raise money for the family’s needs. But this is still not enough as the household keeps running out of food, forcing us to sleep hungry sometimes, and our children miss days of school following unpaid tuition balances. In fact, one of my children was supposed to join high school last week but we had to postpone to a later date in the month to accumulate his admission fees. This is why I direct most of my cash transfers toward food and the education of our children. I spent $23 from the recent cash on maize flour and $5 on buying clean tap water. I spent the remaining $6 to secure three chickens to start rearing. From each of the cash I received in November and December, I saved $20 in preparation for my son’s high school admission which is set to happen next week. The remaining $14 went towards food. "

"I was able to construct my two-room house with the help of the second transfer. My house was so small that my family could not live there. It was difficult to sleep in, and my children chose to do so in the outside kitchen, which I thought was really risky. I think the current house I have built will aid me when guests drop by, and even my children will have a comfortable place to sleep. In addition, I spent $300 on two 410-liter tanks that will aid in the storage of water for domestic usage. My family would not be without water as often, at least. To at least pay off the $700 in unpaid school fees arrears for my five school-age children, I also made that payment. They could have been sent home from school multiple times before I started getting the transfer, which had an impact on their performance as their peers prospered. My wife and I both farm maize and beans. Despite the fact that I have a little farm, my entire family is dependent on it. As a result, they frequently went without food, which had an adverse effect on their health. Lastly, my family enjoys sitting on the two plastic chairs that were purchased with the assistance of this transfer. Thank you so much GiveDirectly."

"I quickly ranked all the improvements I wanted to make in our lives but hadn't been able to because of a lack of cash. As soon as GiveDirectly provided the money. I located and swiftly made the purchase of a dependable 2000-liter water tank. With the aid of this tank, we were able to finally ensure that our home had enough water after years of struggle. I committed to using the money to make our lives better, so I spent some of it to renovate my two-bedroom home, making it a little more livable and adding a verandah. I've been divorced from my wife for five years, and we've never been able to conceive kids. Being the fifth and final kid,with only my mother alive, I focus all my efforts on my 3-acre farm, where I grow coconuts and cassava for sale and domestic use. Sadly, the drought has been rather rough this year, so part of the funds also went towards ensuring I had food for both myself and my family as a whole. I am eternally grateful for all that GiveDirectly has done for me and my extended family."

"In the coming year and beyond, I wish to connect tap water and purchase additional water tanks for my family. This will enable me to achieve my dream of starting a water business in the village a reliable source of income for the family. This will make me abandon the charcoal-burning activity which is energy-draining and characterised by low income."

"I have always wished to replace my house’s grass-thatched roof with an iron sheet roof but financial constraints and lack of sufficient funds have hindered me. The grass-thatched roof has spoilt over the last six years, mainly from infestation by insects. When it rains, water leaks through the roof, which dampens our sleeping spaces. To successfully install the tin roof, I estimated the cost to be around $300. However, the biggest challenge is that am not sure how I will raise this amount, given my existing financial obligations; am stuck! "